Summer Series: Mia Valerio

08/06/2026 | Women's Lacrosse

Hi, Spider fans! My name is Mia Valerio, and I am a senior from Springfield, Pennsylvania, which, as many of you may know, is part of Delco. This has been such an eventful summer, especially in the city of Philadelphia, and I am looking forward to filling you in on what has been keeping me so busy!

My summer started in the best possible way. When I arrived home from school, I was greeted by our new puppy, Bailey, who I was more than happy to spend all my new free time with. She definitely kept us all on our toes, but we were so excited to welcome a new addition to our family.

Speaking of my family, my youngest sibling, Luke, graduated from high school. As much as I hate to admit it, the occasion was very bittersweet. However, it allowed me to spend a lot of time with family and friends, which was much needed after not seeing most of them for months. My town is very small, so it is always nice to see the whole community come together to celebrate such a big milestone.

I then started a five-week summer course with Dr. Nolin called Chemistry of Cooking, in which I learned about the science behind the chemical reactions that produce many of the foods we know and love today. Although science is definitely not one of my strong points, I learned so many skills that can be applied to different aspects of my life, whether I am cooking dinner or working in a professional setting.

At the same time, I started a position with the city of Philadelphia that has given me valuable experience as I continue to develop professionally. As it turns out, this is one of the busiest summers the city has seen in years. Philadelphia is helping celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States, hosting World Cup matches and fan festivals and preparing for the MLB All-Star Game and its surrounding events, all within a few weeks of one another.

Although there was constant chaos, it was a great learning experience to witness and better understand how major events are organized and orchestrated, particularly when it comes to public safety and preventing dangerous incidents.

While all of this was going on, I got to spend another year coaching for Phantastix, the club I grew up playing for. This year, I had the pleasure of getting to know the 2035 squad, and boy, did we have fun! Although they were young, they quickly showed how interested they were in getting better, and it was so exciting to see their improvement over time.

We shared a lot of laughs and many, many tears, but most importantly, we got to play the game we all love. Hopefully, we have a few future Spiders on the horizon — in about 10 years!

Although it has been a wild summer so far, I have gotten a few breaks. I spent time going to Phillies games, heading down the Jersey Shore to soak up the sun — shout-out to alum Quinn Meyer — and visiting a few teammates in New York and Connecticut. Shout-out to Jemma, CCC and GG!

My favorite activity during the week has to be our weekly summer league, where I get to play with the grittiest Philly people I know. Shout-out to Grace Holmes, Riley and Mira! Getting to see so many Spiders has truly been the highlight of my summer, and I can’t wait to see them all again soon.

Even though I still have a few weeks left in the great state of Pennsylvania, I am counting down the days until I get to see all my favorite people and show some new friends why Richmond truly is the best place on Earth.